Multiple sources tell NBC 4 New York that video from a Department of Transportation camera shows the school bus filled with fifth-graders in Thursday's deadly wreck in New Jersey making a sudden U-turn in a median.

The development comes as investigators probe the cause of the crash, which killed one student and a teacher after the full-size school bus collided with a dump truck on Route 80 near exit 25 in Mount Olive Township. 

The bus, which was carrying 38 students and seven adults from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, was heading to a class field trip to Waterloo Village, a historic site in Stanhope. The student who was killed has not yet been identified. The teacher has been identified as Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, whose husband issued a heartrending statement late Thursday. The rest of the people on board were injured, some critically. 

[[482928261, C]]

There were three school buses taking students from the same school on the field trip, sources said. Of the three buses, one missed the exit, video shows. When the driver realized this, he apparently saw a designated U-turn area for emergency vehicles ahead -- and cut across lanes of traffic to try to make the U-turn.

A dump truck traveling in the same direction slammed into the bus as it suddenly appeared in front of him, the sources said, citing DOT footage. The investigation is still early and no conclusion has been reached. 

The school bus driver is still being treated for injuries and has not yet been interviewed.

The injured were transported to six different hospitals and some were undergoing surgery. The crash was so severe some injured children climbed through windows and the roof's emergency exit to get to safety. 

There is no federal requirement for seat belts on full-sized school buses, but six states, including New Jersey, require them.

[[482985911, C]]

An 11-year-old boy sitting in the fourth row of the bus told News 4 New York, "I heard like a scraping noise and then the bus tilted over, and a lot of people were screaming."

Photos obtained by News 4 show the heavily damaged bus on its side in the median, surrounded by dozens of emergency and law enforcement vehicles. The front of it was barely recognizable, a mangled chunk of broken-apart machinery spread from the highway shoulder lane through the guardrail and into the grassy median, where police and first responders are seen tending to stunned children.

[[482999321, C]]

The undercarriage, the bus wheels still attached, lay perpendicular to the overturned bus, stretching out over multiple lanes of the highway.

Students on the other two buses taking part in the trip were told they had to leave 10 minutes after arriving because of a storm, and only learned of the accident when they arrived back at school. They were then reunited with their families. 

All school trips for the rest of the year were canceled. School leaders decided not to cancel classes on Friday, saying the student body should be together to grieve. 

Students at East Brook Middle School, a public school serving roughly 650 students in grades 5 through 8, were picked up early from school — they found out about the accident when other students were crying in the halls.

[[482980781, C]]

"We thought it was just a drill and people were joking around," student Alejandro Garcia said. "Stuff started coming in. We gathered around two students whose brothers were on that bus... It was just horrible what happened." 

The news of the deadly bus crash caused a chaotic scene inside the school as frantic parents rushed in to pick up their children.

No additional details on the children or any injuries were available. 

[[482981061, C]]

A man at the front desk of a company connected to a license plate on the dump truck said it's not clear what happened, but he did confirm the driver left the facility Thursday morning and got into the accident. It's not clear if that driver was injured. 

A team with the New Jersey Department of Health also responded.

The area of exit 25 on Route 80 where the crash happened was closed for the majority of the day. It wasn't until just before 9 p.m. when all lanes had reopened as cleanup crews loaded the mangled bus onto a flat-bed truck. 

Serious accidents are not uncommon in that stretch of the busy highway. From 2014-2016 there were more than 5,000 crashes on Route 80 in Morris County, resulting in 10 deaths and nearly 1,400 injuries, according to a News 4 I-Team analysis of state data. 

[[482982551, C]]

Bill Gates told members of his charity that President Donald Trump asked if HPV and HIV were the same thing and knew a "scary" amount about his daughter's physical appearance, according to video exclusively obtained by MSNBC's Chris Hayes, NBC News reported.

The billionaire explained in the video, which aired Thursday night on "All In With Chris Hayes," that he had avoided speaking to Trump before the election but went to see him in December 2016.

Trump knew Gates' equestrian daughter, Jennifer, from seeing her at a horse show he throws, Gates explained. He also said Trump asked him "if vaccines weren't a bad thing" and "wanted to know the difference between HIV and HPV."

Hayes told viewers: "We have reached out to the [Gates] Foundation, of course, for comment but have not yet received a response."

A Michigan man said he "worked very hard" to buy his $1,700 Louis Vuitton bag, so much so that he refused to give it up when an armed robber demanded the pricey possession.

Jerad Kluting told WOOD TV8 a man approached him Monday evening while walking in Holland Township, outside of Grand Rapids. "In one motion," Kluting said, the man pulled out a gun, covered his mouth with a bandana and ordered Kluting to hand over the designer item. 

"I was like, ‘You’re not getting my Louis Vuitton,'" Kluting recalled. "I worked very hard for this, and this bag I’ve had forever and it means a lot to me. I wasn’t about ready to relinquish it to some thug that was going to demand it from me."

At least three shots were fired in the confrontation, but Kluting was not harmed. Kluting ran for help to a nearby business, and police arrested the suspect shortly after the incident.

Kluting told WOOD he saved up his money to buy the roughly $1,700 satchel, adding that "it represents me." While authorities encourage people not to bargain with armed thieves, Kluting seemed pleased with his outcome.

"I got my bag. He can pry it out of my cold dead hands," he said with a smile.

Minor injuries are reported in a crash that closed Route 44 in Ashford Friday morning.

LifeStar medical transport helicopter was called after two vehicles collided at Route 44 and Route 89 around 6:30 a.m. The road was closed for around two hours.

No additional information was immediately available.

Thirty-two people were hurt when two buses collided at the Manhattan-side entrance of the center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel Friday, an accident that sent all but one of the dozens of victims to the hospital, FDNY officials said. 

Port Authority says that one NJ Transit bus rear-ended another in the center tube just before 10 a.m. Eight of the 32 victims had serious injuries, but those were not believed to be life-threatening and the other injuries were minor.

FDNY says that 23 of those injured were transported to Bellevue Hospital, while the eight victims with serious injuries were taken to Lenox Hill and Mount Sinai. 

According to NJ Transit, both buses originated out of New Jersey — one out of Wayne, the other out of Oradell.

One of the buses had 25 passengers on board, while there were 37 on board the other.

The buses are currently out of the tunnel and on the New York side, NJ Transit says.

Port Authority Police Department is investigating the incident, but says the Lincoln Tunnel is fully operational.

The mother of a 14-month-old girl who sustained severe burns in the bathtub of their Vernon home has been arrested and is accused of providing a false statement to police.

The little girl sustained second- and third-degree burns to both hands and arms, as well as to her forehead, on March 14 and was taken to Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston, according to details in the arrest warrant application. A doctor told police that the child would need extensive skin grafts and her treatment would take at least three years,

The mother, 25-year-old Victoria Brocuglio, of Vernon, initially told police that she had poured hot water into the bathtub to clean her sister’s hair dye out of it and turned to put the pot down on the sink. When her back was turned, the child put her hands in the tub and sustained the burns, according to the arrest warrant application. 

Brocuglio told investigators she did not purposely harm her daughter and what happened was an accident, according to the arrest warrant application.

Medical staff told the Connecticut Department of Children and Families that Brocuglio’s explanation did not make sense, according to police. 

According to a nurse practitioner, the little girl sustained serious burns to 9 percent of her body. 

When investigators spoke with Brocuglio’s brother, he provided a different account of what happened.

He said he and the little girl were in the kitchen, eating, and Brocuglio had boiled a pot of water on the stove, brought it into the bathroom to clean the tub and then returned to the kitchen.

As he was talking with his sister, the little girl ran off and he told her to “go after” the child, but Brocuglio didn’t, according to the arrest warrant application. Then they heard the little girl screaming and Brocuglio ran to her daughter and emerged from the bathroom with the little girl a few seconds later. Then they rushed down the back stairs to the brother’s car and drove the child to Rockville General Hospital.

As police investigated, Brocuglio eventually told them she poured the hot water in a toddler bathtub to clean dust off it and allowed the water to drain into the larger bathtub to clean it and then heard her daughter scream while she and her brother were in the kitchen, according to the arrest warrant application.

She went on to tell police that she was afraid to tell the truth because she felt guilty that she was not watching the toddler close enough, according to police.

Brocuglio was arrested Wednesday and charged with risk of injury to a minor and providing a false statement.

She was released on a $25,000 surety bond and is due in Rockville Superior Court on Monday.

Four state parks will be closed for several days after powerful storms, including tornadoes, came through and caused extensive damage.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is warning people not to try and visit any of the closed parks.

The following state parks are closed:

• Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden
• Kettletown State Park in Southbury
• Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield
• Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford

Squantz Pond is expected to reopen early next week, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Chatfield Hollow was closed after the storm, but reopened Friday morning.

The Pond Brook State Boat Launch in Newtown, the Lake Zoar State Boat Launch in Southbury and the Squantz Pond State Boat Launch in New Fairfield might not be accessible this weekend, according to DEEP.

“We continue to see visitors attempting to come to our closed state parks to see the damage,” DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen said in a statement. “For the safety of the general public and the crews working to clear the parks, it is imperative that only authorized personnel enter the parks at this time.”

Of the 110 state parks, 106 remain open to the public.

“EnCon officers have increased patrols of the closed parks, failure to obey the closures of these parks could result in an infraction or arrest for trespassing,” Whalen said.

Students from Parkland, Florida, sent love to the victims of the latest school shooting, in southern Texas, on Friday and renewed calls for the gun control that they have been demanding since the massacre at their own school.

Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, immediately went after the National Rifle Association, tweeting, “Prepare to watch the NRA boast about getting higher donations. Prepare to see students rise up and be called ‘civil terrorists’ and crisis actors. Prepare for the right-wing media to attack the survivors.”

The NRA, as it has done in the past, issued no statement immediately after the Texas shooting, either on Twitter or on its website.

On Friday, a gunman identified by law enforcement as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis killed nine students and a teacher at Santa Fe High School, sources told NBC News. Police also reported finding what were thought to be explosive devices at the school and off campus. 

The latest shooting elicited thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families from prominent politicians, and that was not enough for the students from Parkland, where 17 students were killed in February when a former student allegedly opened fire at the school. 

Many of those students have been demanding stricter gun control measures and have taken on the NRA and its donations to lawmakers who have blocked measures to enact stronger gun laws. They organized rallies across the country under the banner of “March for Our Lives” but also came under attack from opponents to gun control who questioned whether they were really students or just actors taking advantage of a tragedy to push their views.

On Friday, “March for Our Lives” tweeted, “Though this is the 22nd school shooting this year, we urge those reading this not to sweep it under the rug and forget. This is not the price of our freedom. This is the most fatal shooting since the one at our school and tragedies like this will continue to happen unless action is taken.”

Another Parkland survivor, David Hogg, tweeted about politicians and the coming elections in November.

“Get ready for two weeks of media coverage of politicians acting like they give a shit when in reality they just want to boost their approval ratings before midterms,” he wrote.

President Donald Trump said Friday morning that he was grieving for the loss of life and sending support and love to everyone affected by the horrific attack at Santa Fe High School. He said his administration was determined to protect students, secure schools and keep weapons out of the those who pose a threat to themselves and others but provided no details.

“To the students, families teachers and personnel at Santa Fe High, we’re with you at this tragic hour and we will be with you forever,” he said.

That message fell short for Jaclyn Corin, the junior class president at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “Like a broken record,” she tweeted.

“Our children are being MURDERED and you’re treating this like a game,” she wrote in response to an earlier tweet from Trump saying early reports from the Texas shooting did not look good.

One of the most outspoken of the Stoneman Douglas students, Emma Gonzalez, tweeted to the students at Santa Fe High School that they deserved peace during of their lives, not only in an epitaph on their tombstone.

“You deserve more than Thoughts and Prayers, and after supporting us by walking out we will be there to support you by raising up your voices,” she wrote.

And Ryan Deitsch, a Parkland senior, asked: “Politics aside, how many more have to die before we can change?”

“I am broken up by this tragedy but refuse to allow myself to sit waiting for more heartbreak & bloodshed,” he wrote. “All #SantaFeHighSchool students are open to DM me or any of my friends if they need help or want to amplify their voices. We are here for you as you were for us.”

And he posted photos of Santa Fe students in April supporting the Parkland students by participating in a school walkout demanding an end to gun violence.

Police have released the 911 calls made after a Hartford police officer was stabbed in the neck in the line of duty Thursday.

The officer, Jill Kidik, a 12-year-veteran, remains in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Hartford Hospital. On Friday morning, she was able to open her eyes and police said she was alert.

Chevoughn Augustin, 39, is accused of stabbing Kidik and has been charged with criminal attempted murder, first-degree assault, assault on a police officer, and third-degree criminal mischief.

The police report released Friday says police were called to 5 Constitution Plaza because a resident was damaging property inside the building, taking postings and paperwork off the community bulletin board and common areas in the lobby without permission.

The person who filed the complaint told police that Augustin showed signs of mental instability and had been committing illegal acts in the building, according to the police report.

The report is redacted and the names are blacked out, but it says an officer responded around 9:10 a.m. to investigate the complaint, Augustin was aggressive and agitated and the officer requested an ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance, Augustin and the officer got into a physical altercation.

Hartford police dispatch was soon alerted about an altercation in the building and that an officer was in trouble and had been stabbed in the neck.

Other officers in the area immediately responded and found Kidik on the ninth floor with stab wounds to the neck. Witnesses had restrained Augustin, according to police, and officers handcuffed her. Police have identified those witnesses as members of the building maintenance staff.

Kidik was rushed to Hartford Hospital and went through emergency surgery.

She is a decorated officer who was recognized in 2016 for saving a 1-year-old baby's life in 2015. She was bestowed the Hartford Police Department's Lifesaving Award for rescuing the baby.

Police issued a warning on Thursday afternoon that any solicitation for donations on behalf of Kidik is likely a scam because no Hartford police organization is actively seeking donations for her.

Augustin sustained a cut to the fingers on her right hand as police took her into custody Thursday and patrol officers took her to Saint Francis Hospital.

After she was released from the hospital, Augustin admitted to her involvement, according to the police report.

She said she had been having ongoing issues with the building management and had been served an eviction notice. She also said she had removed postings from a bulletin board without permission because she felt they were disorganized, then went back to her apartment and woke up when a police officer was knocking on her door, the police report says.

Augustin went on to tell officers that she was asked to get identification and did not trust the officer and decided to leave.

She went on to tell investigators that the office knocked her to the ground and while wrestling to get away, she grabbed a “chopping” knife and stabbed the officer twice in the neck. Then a maintenance person separated her from the officer, according to the police reports.

Augustin, who has a son and a 3-month-old grandchild, appeared in court Friday and is being held on $2 million bond.

Jeff Ravetz and Joseph Klaynberg, the owners of 5 Constitution Plaza, released the following statement Thursday:

“Our heartfelt wishes and prayers are with the police officer and her family at this time. We wish her a speedy and full recovery. We are also very proud of our staff who, at great risk to themselves, interceded and ended this awful attack. The safety and security of our tenants remains our top priority. We are working with the local authorities to assist in the investigation in any way that we can."

The National Guard was deployed Friday in Bethany, New Fairfield and Brookfield after four tornadoes came through Connecticut Tuesday. 

Their mission is to make roads passable so utility crews can get the power back on to thousands of houses and businesses. 

The sun was shining when Nancy Bennett-Morgenstern was out for a walk in Bethany Tuesday and had to find shelter quickly when the storms came. 

“I spent the tornado in a storm drain,” Bennett-Morgenstern said. 

She said her cell service signal was low and she didn't receive a storm alert until it was too late. 

“I could hear electrical wires popping and trees coming down,” Bennett-Morgenstern said. 

Her husband rescued her and they found a lot of damage when they got back to Old Fairwood Road. 

“Lots of trees down on the road. It looked like a bomb hit, and of course our house has a tree laying on it, but we are all OK,” Bennett-Morgenstern said. 

Bennett-Morgenstern’s son is in the National Guard and on day three of cleanup the Connecticut National Guard was deployed to help. 

“The National Guard motto is ‘always ready, always here,’ so we are here supporting anyway we can,” First Lieutenant Jennifer Pierce, the public information officer for the 103rd Airlift Wing in the Connecticut National Guard, said. 

A large portion of Bethany was still without power on Friday. While state and local crews, as well as utility companies, continue to work to repair damage, the National Guard is helping to clear fallen trees and unblock roads. 

“Our civil engineering teams are out here, basically they are cutting down trees. They are clearing the roads. They have equipment out here that can push all the trees back and that way the power companies are able to access the roads,” Pierce said. 

There are also 15 emergency centers open across the state as well as several shelters. In Bethany the town hall and 1st Congregational Church are also open for anyone in need. 

Still smashed cars, downed trees and repair crews are commonplace. 

“Pretty bad. Parts of town are pretty wiped out. I could see where something definitely came through, trees on houses and cars and roads blocked and everybody working together,” Tony Ciarleglio, who is with Bethany Public Works, said. 

The Bethany Public Works crews they’ve had long hours and long days, but everyone in town is hopeful. 

“It’s scary so I just hope people are able to get back to normal as soon as possible,” Bennett-Morgenstern said. 

The National Guard said they do not have a timeframe for how long they will be in Bethany, however they will help as long as it takes to get everyone back on their feet.  

Police are investigating a home invasion in New Haven Thursday morning while a man, his mother, and his 2-year-old son were home, according to police. 

Police were called to the home on Brownell Street at 11:22 a.m. to investigate a home-invasion and the victim said he woke up when he heard his dog barking and two men, including one with a handgun, entered his room and held the gun to his head, police said. 

The intruders stole a PS4, police said, and kicked in the door to the victim’s mother’s room. Police said they made it clear they were looking for something specific. 

None of the victims were hurt. 

One of the intruders appeared to be in his 20s and is tall and muscular. He was wearing a gray and blue sweat suit and had a green and black handgun, according to police. 

The other intruder also appeared to be in his 20 and is short and skinny. He was wearing a black sweat suit.

An East Haven woman faces animal cruelty charges after her dog was found severely malnourished and tied up outside in February, according to East Haven police.

Police said 41-year-old Celena Campbell was arrested on May 11.

According to police, Campbell called a local animal hospital in February to report that her dog Samson was not eating and had not pooped in several days. Employees told Campbell to ring the dog in for a check-up, but she never showed. Concerned, employees contained East Haven Animal Control.

Animal control responded to Campbell’s home and found Samson, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, tied to a pool deck. Police said the dog had no access to food, water, or shelter and Animal Control Officer Sean Godejon reported it appeared the Samson had dug a hole to keep himself warm.

Godejon believed Samson was in need of immediate veterinary care and seized him. Samson was hospitalized and the veterinarians who treated him reported “significant neglect related injuries including severe malnourishment, muscle atrophy, and open sores down to the muscle ligament,” police said.

Campbell was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. She was released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 23.

Samson was placed in another family and is reported to be “healthy and in good spirits,” according to police.

New Haven police are investigating after a 15-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen Tuesday night. 

Police said officers responded to Dixwell Avenue and Henry Street at 8:44 p.m. to investigate a shooting. 

The boy had gone to the hospital and hospital staff reached out to police. 

His injury is not life-threatening and police said they have not located a crime scene. 

Police received no reports of gunfire and the victim did not describe his assailant, according to police.

A man who was shot in the abdomen in New Haven Thursday morning is in critical condition, according to police. 

Police responded to the 200 block of Franklin Street at 10:17 a.m. and the victim was taken to Yale-New Haven. 

Police are looking for four men who they said were involved. 

All four men are between 20 and 35 years old. One wore a red baseball cap, black T-shirt, light colored pants and red and white sneakers. Another wore a gray sweatshirt over a black T-shirt and jeans. Another wore a gray sweatshirt, red pants and black shoes or sneakers and the other wore a gray sweatshirt and jeans, police said. 

All four ran away toward Hamilton Street and police have not identified the shooter. 

Anyone who witnessed the crime or has information should call police at 203-946-6316 or Text-A-Tip. Text “NHPD plus your message” to 274637.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday he will organize roundtables around the state to discuss preventing further shootings. “We need to do more than just pray for the victims,” he said.

A Middlefield man is accused of altering an insurance document in order to obtain a snow plowing contract with the state.

Connecticut State Police arrested 33-year-old John Silvestri Friday. According to police, Silvestri altered an insurance document that was given to the Department of Motor Vehicles Commercial Safety Division to get a state snow plowing contract award.

Silvestri turned himself into police after investigators obtained an arrest warrant. He was charged with second-degree forgery and released on a $500 bond. He is due in court on May 23.

Listen to police audio during the shooting at Santa Fe High School in southern Texas Friday morning. Ten people were killed when a student opened fire in a classroom, police said.

Connecticut Democrats will endorse candidates for statewide offices during their statewide convention in Hartford this weekend.

While the Hartford Convention Center as a venue does not have the bells and whistles of Foxwoods, it very well may have more drama on down ballot races than the Republicans had last week.

Governor

Connecticut’s Democrats, by and large, have coalesced around Ned Lamont as their nominee for governor. Party brass have been announcing endorsements and previous contenders for the office like Sean Connolly and Jonathan Harris each endorsed Lamont, clearing the way for others in the party like New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary to lend their support to Lamont.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is the person to watch during the convention. Ganim, in his second stint running Connecticut’s largest city, is pursuing a spot on the ballot through collecting signatures. However, the possibility remains that Ganim could receive 15 percent of delegates he needs to achieve a spot on the ballot, which would make his life a lot easier. Ganim’s, “Second Chance” candidacy as he’s called it, has resonated with many in Connecticut’s cities with delegates willing to look past his criminal actions that led to him spending more than six years in federal prison.

Lieutenant Governor

Before Tuesday of this week Connecticut Democrats did not have a single candidate filed to run for the number two position in state government. That changed when Susan Bysiewicz announced she would end her bid for governor and join Ned Lamont as his running mate. The “running mate” terminology is almost pointless considering in the primary the office of Lieutenant Governor is a separate ballot line altogether. That means the office could still be up to the voters.

That brings us to one of the surprises of the early campaign season with Eva Bermudez Zimmerman announcing her candidacy. The Bysiewicz announcement angered many of the diverse voices in the party like the NAACP in Connecticut and State Senator Gary Winfield who himself considered a run. Enter Eva. She’s young, only 30 years old, but says she has experience as a member of the Legislative Council in Newtown where she lives, and as a union organizer and negotiator gives her the experience to be lieutenant governor.

State Representative Charlie Stallworth is also looking to make it on to the August primary ballot. He represents Bridgeport in the General Assembly as a Democrat and has aligned with Guy Smith, considered a long shot candidate for governor.

It’s looking like Bysiewicz and Bermudez Zimmerman will secure delegates. It’s a question of who will be the party’s preferred candidate.

Attorney General

The shoes that need to be filled by Connecticut’s next Attorney General are large. George Jepsen is leaving the office after a career in public service in the General Assembly and then in the position of Connecticut’s top law enforcement official.

Those vying to replace him all would bring very similar priorities to the position. There is very little daylight between each of the candidates, despite what they may claim.

Rep. William Tong from Stamford is the most recent chairman of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee on the House side. This could be his best attempt at statewide office coming from Stamford, and he would be Connecticut’s first ever Asian-American endorsed candidate for any statewide office.

Sen. Paul Doyle from Wethersfield is the Senate chairman of the Judiciary Committee and has spent much of his professional career in public office and as a practicing attorney. He’s spoken the most about the crumbling foundations crisis in Connecticut.

Chris Mattei is a Windsor native and former federal prosecutor who sent former Governor John Rowland to prison for the second time. With a background in organized labor, he has firm grassroots support.

Claire Kindall is currently a Deputy Attorney General arguing that she would be a steady hand at the wheel, continuing the legacy of George Jepsen.

This race appears to be rather unpredictable for the August primary ballot, with the possibility of all four candidates finding spots with the minimum of 15 percent delegate support.

Treasurer

The office of Treasurer isn’t the most politically consequential or divisive as other offices, but Democrats can send a statement with their nominee. The policy rhetoric is very similar amongst all four candidates, each placing an onus on providing solid and reliable investment returns for retirees and the state. Arunan Arulampalam is the first generation American son of refugees from Sri Lanka. His story is one of the American dream that’s appealed well to Hartford Democrats, where he lives. Dita Bhargava has an investment banking background from Fairfield County, and would also provide a diverse voice for Democrats. Shawn Wooden is the former President of the Hartford City Council and has high name recognition with many Democrats across Connecticut. Finally, John Blankley is the only white male on the Treasurer line, but he has a successful private industry background. The first three candidates certainly have the edge, and could easily end up with more than one candidate making it into the August primary.

Officials in Hamden are still trying to assess all the damage left behind by a tornado and destructive microburst that hit the area Tuesday.

The popular Sleeping Giant State Park remained closed Friday and officials warned residents to stay away from the mountain. Many residents remained without power or with heavy tree damage all over their properties.

There has been some progress in cleanup efforts. Both public crews and private contractors have been out working on cleanup and tree removal. But it’s a long road to full recovery.

“I was waiting for the sky to turn black for a thunderstorm and it was white, and I said this is more than a thunderstorm and the funnel was in my yard,” said Hamden resident Roberta Guarino.

Guarino’s home of 42 years is in the northern Hamden neighborhood hit hardest by Tuesday’s tornado.

“I take it a day at a time and I thank god I’m alive and my family is OK,” she said.

Police Chief Thomas Wydra said it’s remarkable that nobody was seriously hurt.

Nearly every home in the area of Still Hill Road had tree damage.

“We had gotten the warning over our phone we saw one tree fall in our neighbor’s yard then we just had a whole bunch of them fall on our house, on our driveway on our cars, everything demolished,” said Michelle Reed. The family lost four cars.

Hamden Mayor Curt Leng said 40 United Illuminating crews are working around the clock to restore power. The Department of Public Works plans to deploy crews for 12-hour shifts until anything is open and passable.

Officials warned residents to stay away from damage and not try to drive through roadblocks.

“Everybody needs to assume that all these wires are live, please be careful,” said Craig Cesare, Hamden’s Department of Public Works director.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he plans to share photos of the devastation with his colleagues in Washington, in hopes of bringing federal resources to help with the long recovery ahead.

“This kind of devastation is what FEMA was designed to assist,” Blumenthal said.

For now, the neighborhood is pulling together.

“We’re gonna get through it, what else are you gonna do,” Reed said.